Planned Embedded Change: A Theoretical Model from the IFRS Foundation Case

Transnational standard-setters face a paradox: they must project stability while adapting to shifting institutional logics. Drawing on 50 years of IFRS Foundation constitutions and review reports, this study identifies three key episodes of logic shift-replacement, blending, and expansion-corresponding to governance reforms in 2001, 2009, and 2021. Using document analysis and thematic coding, the paper develops the concept of planned embedded change, defined as the strategic use of publicly mandated review cycles and stakeholder consultations to normalize continual structural adaptation. This approach allows the IFRS Foundation to preemptively restructure before legitimacy crises deepen, while embedding change into organizational routines to reduce stakeholder resistance. The findings contribute to institutional theory by integrating change typologies with institutional logics, offering a model for how global governance organizations can design temporal routines to navigate contested environments. Implications are discussed for transnational standard-setters seeking to balance stability, responsiveness, and legitimacy in volatile global contexts.